Imatges de pàgina
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Tub. I often came where I did hear of her, but cannot find her.

Shy. Why there, there, there, there! a diamond gone, coft me two thousand ducats in Frankfort! the curfe never fell upon our nation 'till now, I never felt it 'till now; two thousand ducats in that, and other precious, precious jewels! I would, my daughter were dead at my foot, and the jewels in her ear; O, would fhe were hers'd at my foot, and the ducats in her coffin. No news of them; why, fo! and I know not what's spent in the fearch: why, thou lofs upon lofs! the thief gone with fo much, and fo much to find the thief; and no fatisfaction, no revenge, nor no ill luck ftirring, but what lights o' my fhoulders; no fighs but o' my breathing, no tears but o' my fhedding.

Tub. Yes, other men have ill luck too; Anthonio, as I heard in Genoua

Shy. What, what, what? ill luck, ill luck? Tub. Hath an Argofie caft away, coming from Tripolis.

Shy. I thank God, I thank God; is it true? is it true?

lub I spoke with fome of the failors that escaped the wreck.

Shy. I thank thee, good Tubal; good news, good news; ha, ha, where? in Genoua?

Tub. Your daughter fpent in Genoua, as I heard, one night, fourscore ducats.

Shy. Thou ftick'st a dagger in me; I shall never fee my gold again; fourfcore ducats at a fitting, fourscore ducats!

Tub. There came divers of Anthonio's creditors in my company to Venice, that fwear he cannot chuse but break.

Shy. I am glad of it, I'll plague him, I'll torture him; I am glad of it.

Tub.

Tub. One of them fhew'd me a ring, that he had of your daughter for a monky.

Shy. Out upon her! thou tortureft me, Tubal; it was my Turquoife, I had it of Leab when I was a batchelor; I would not have given it for a wilderness of monkies.

Tub. But Anthonio is certainly undone.

Shy. Nay, that's true, that's very true; go fee me an officer, befpeak him a fortnight before. I will have the heart of him, if he forfeit; for were he out of Venice, I can make what merchandize I will: go, go, Tubal, and meet me at our fynagogue; go, good Tubal; at our fynagogue, Tubal. [Exeunt.

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Enter Baffanio, Portia, Gratiano, and Attendants.
The Caskets are fet out.

Por. Pray you, tarry; pause a day or two,
Before you hazard; for in chufing wrong
I lofe your company; therefore, forbear a while.
There's fomething tells me (but it is not love)
I would not lofe you; and you know your self,
Hate counsels not in fuch a quality.

But left you should not understand me well,
And yet a maiden hath no tongue but thought,
I would detain you here fome month or two,
Before you venture for me. I could teach you
How to chufe right, but I am then forsworn:
So will I never be; so you may miss me;
But if you do, you'll make me with a fin,
That I had been forfworn. Befhrew your eyes,
They have o'erlook'd me, and divided me;
One half of me is yours, the other half yours,

Mine

Mine own, I would fay: but if mine, then yours;
And fo all yours. Alas! thefe naughty times
Put bars between the owners and their rights:
And fo tho' yours, not yours, prove it so,
* Let fortune go to hell for it. Not I.
I fpeak too long, but 'tis to peece the time,
To eche it, and to draw it out in length,
To stay you from election.

Baj. Let me chufe:

For as I am, I live upon the rack.

Por. Upon the rack, Bassanio? then confefs, What treason there is mingled with your love.

Baff. None, but that ugly treafon of mistrust,
Which makes me fear th' enjoying of my love:
There may as well be amity and life

'Tween fnow and fire, as treason and my love.
Por. Ay, but, I fear, you speak upon the rack;
Where men enforced do fpeak any thing.

Baff. Promise me life, and I'll confefs the truth,
Por. Well then, confefs and live.

Baff. Confefs, and love,

Had been the very fum of my confeffion.
O happy torment, when my torturer

4 Let fortune go to hell for it. nat I.] This line is very obfcure. The form of the expreffion alludes to what she had faid of being forfworn. After fome struggle, fhe refolves to keep her oath And then fays, Let fortune go to hell for it. For what! not for telling or favouring Baffanio, which was the temptation fhe then lay under: for fortune had taken no oath. And, furely, for the more favouring a man of merit, fortune did not deferve (confidering how rarely the tranfgreffes this way) so severe a fentence. Much lefs could the speaker, who favour'd Bafanio, think fo. The meaning then mult be, Let fortune rather go to hell for not favouring Baffanio, than I for favouring him. So loofely does our author fometimes ufe his pronouns. - not I does not fignify, Let not I go to hell; for then it should be Let not me. But it is a diftinct fentence of itfelf. And is a very common proverbial fpeech, fignifying, I will have nothing to do with it. Which if the Oxford Editor had confidered, he might have spared his pains in changing 1 into me.

Doth

Doth teach me answers for deliverance!
But let me to my fortune and the caskets.

If

Por. Away then! I am lockt in one of them; you do love me, you will find me out.

Neriffa, and the reft, ftand all aloof,

Let mufick found, while he doth make his choice;
Then, if he lofe, he makes a fwan-like end,
Fading in mufick. That the comparison
May stand more juft, my eye fhall be the stream
And wat❜ry death-bed for him: he may win,
And what is mufick then? then mufick is
Even as the flourish, when true fubjects bow
To a new-crowned monarch: fuch it is,
As are thofe dulcet founds in break of day,
That creep into the dreaming bridegroom's ear,
And fummon him to marriage. Now he goes,
With no less prefence, but with much more love,
Than young Alcides, when he did redeem
The virgin-tribute, paid by howling Troy
To the fea-monfter: I ftand for facrifice;
The reft aloof are the Dardanian wives,
With bleared vifages come forth to view
The iffue of th' exploit. Go, Hercules!
Live thou, I live; with much, much more difmay
I view the fight, than thou, that makʼft the fray.

[Mufick within.

A Song, whilst Baffanio comments on the caskets to

bimfelf.

Tell me, where his fancy bred,

Or in the heart, or in the head?
How begot, how nourished?
Reply, reply.

It is engender'd in the eye,
With gazing fed, and fancy dies
In the cradle where it lyes:

Let

Let us all ring fancy's knell.
I'll begin it.

Ding, dong, bell.

All, Ding, dong, bell.

Baff. So may the outward fhows be leaft themselves: The world is ftill deceiv'd with Ornament. In law, what plea fo tainted and corrupt, But being feafon'd with a gracious voice, Obfcures the fhow of evil? in religion, What damned error, but fome fober brow Will blefs it, and approve it with a text, Hiding the groffnefs with fair ornament? There is no vice fo fimple, but affumes Some mark of virtue on its outward parts. How many cowards, whose hearts are all as falfe As ftairs of fand, wear yet upon their chins The beards of Hercules and frowning Mars; Who, inward fearcht, have livers white as milk? And these affume but valour's excrement, To render them redoubted. Look on beauty, And you fhall fee 'tis purchas'd by the weight, Which therein works a miracle in nature, Making them lighteft, that wear most of it. So are thofe crifpy fnaky golden locks, Which make fuch wanton gambols with the wind Upon fuppofed fairness, often known

To be the dowry of a second head,

The skull, that bred them, in the fepulchre.
Thus Ornament is but the guilty shore
To a most dang'rous fea; the beauteous scarf
Veiling an Indian beauty; in a word,

The feeming truth which cunning times put on
T'entrap the wifeft. Then, thou gaudy gold,
Hard food for Midas, I will none of thee:
Nor none of thee, thou pale and common drudge
'Tween man and man: but thou, thou meager lead,

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